Abstract
Oral history interview with Lyla Joy Ford conducted by Anne Cope on March 12, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ford discusses social life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early days. She discusses how the railroad, Hoover Dam, and the Basic Magnesium Plant brought money into Las Vegas. She recalls Sammy David Jr. performing at the El Rancho Casino, the Helldorado Parade being a big western celebration, atomic tests, and witnessing the city’s transformation from a small farming town to a major gambling city.
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Scope and Contents Note
Oral history interview with Lyla Joy Ford conducted by Anne Cope on March 12, 1975 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Ford discusses social life in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early days. She mentions the Palace Theatre, now called the Guild and the El Portal Theatre. She recalls Sammy Davis Jr. performing at the El Rancho. She remembers the Helldorado Parade as a big western celebration. She then discusses how the railroad, Hoover Dam, and the Basic Magnesium Plant brought money into Las Vegas. She also recalls the atomic tests and witnessing the city’s gradual transformation from a small farming town to a major gambling city. Digital audio and transcript available.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Where use copies do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted; this may delay research requests. Advanced notice is required.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.
Preferred Citation
Lyla Joy Ford oral history interview, 1975 March 12. OH-00599. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
University of Nevada, Las Vegas History Professor Ralph Roske donated materials for this oral history project to UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in the 1980s.
Processing Note
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2017. Nia Banks wrote the collection description. This interview was transcribed and edited by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives as part of an ongoing effort to transcribe legacy interviews. This interview transcript received minimal editing and all measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. A digital version (PDF) of the transcript is available for research use. The audio cassette(s) for this interview have been reformatted by an external vendor into a digital format. MP3 files of the audio are available for research use.